Harvesting machine



ay 4, N43. R, L, ANDERSON ETAL 2,313,188 HARVESTING MACHINE Original Filed July 29, 1940 as 6 I; 39 22 223 /I3 IQ: A3 2| R35 5 v I {I /3Z I5 5 A5 0 L\\\\\\ \N j: 4 W2 fl/W/W/W/WWWWW/m INVENTO 8= 32v NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNH Patented May 4, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT ()F'FICE 2,318,188 fiARVESTING MACHDIE Ralph, L. Anderson, and Chester Ray Arnold,

Moline, 111.,

assigmors to Deere &- Company,

Moline, 111., a corporation of Illinois Original application July 29, 1940-, Serial No.

348,128. Divided and this application October 29, i941, Serial No. 416,937

6 Claims. (Cl. 130-27) The present invention relates to harvesting machines, with particular reference to. machines of the type comprising a main body housing, within which is disposed a rotating threshing cylinder cooperative with a concave for the pur the threshing cylinder relative to the concaves' so that this adjustment can be made quickly in the field. A further object relates to the provision of a novel rubber bearing mounting for the threshing cylinder,

' This application is a division of an application,

Serial No. 348,128, filed July 29', 1940, by Ralph L. Anderson, Chester Ray Arnold and Louis A.

Paradise.

These and other objects and advantages of our invention will be apparent after a considera tion of the following description, in which reference is bad: to the drawing appended hereto, in which- Figure 1 is a fragmentary side elevational view of. a harvesting machine embodying the princi-- ples of the present invention; and

Figure 2. is a sectional elevational view taken along a line 2-2 in Figure 1 and drawn to an enlarged scale.

Referring now to the drawing, reference numeral 5 indicates in its entirety the body of the harvesting machine, which includes a pair of longitudinally disposed laterally spaced vertical side walls 6 and an arched roof 'I'. Disposed within the body 5 is a threshing mechanism including a more or less conventional concave -fisupported on suitable brackets 9. on the sidewails 6 of the body, and a threshing cylinder HI -disposed in' cooperative relation thereto.

The threshing cylinder 10 comprises a supporting shaft H on which is mounted a plurality of laterally spaced sheet metal disks f2, the outer edges of which are turned to provide supporting flanges 13 upon which are mounted a plurality of rasp bars l4 connected to the flanges E 3 by bolts 15 in a manner well-known to those skilled" in the art. The bars 14 are provided with the usual obliquely disposed corrugations it for rub bing the kernels of grain from the stalks in cc cave 8'. Each end of the supporting shaft ll of the threshing cylinder is journaled in a bearing of the anti-friction type, the outer race 21 of which is embraced by an annular rubber rim 22, which surrounds the outer race 2| and is iii supported in a cup-shaped bearing housing. '23- which tightly embraces the rubber rim 22. and

opposes the latter against rotation.

Thecup-shaped housing 2-3 is supported onia.

plate 24, which is attached to an inner retaining plate 25 which lies against the inner surface of the plate 24' and extendsbeyond the annular rubber rim 2.2 to hold the latter within the cupe shaped housing 23. j

The bearing housing is mounted on a large cover plate 30, which is connected by means of bolts 31 to the side wall 6' of the body 5, to coveran opening 32 in the wall 6, which is large-enough to permit the threshing cylinder tllto'be inserted therethrough during installation of the cylinder or which may be readily removed from the body by withdrawing it axially through the opening 32 after the cover plate 39 has been removed;

In order to provide an adjustment of' the clearanee between the threshing cylinder and the concave bars, the bearing housing 23 is mounted on the cover plate 38 by means providing for shifting the bearing housing on the cover plate. The bearing is secured to the cover plate by means of a plurality of bolts 35 which extend through aligned apertures in the plates 2d, 25 and through elongated slots 3'6 in the cover plate 30.

The cylinder shaft. 11' extends: outwardly through the cover plate 30 through an elongated slot 31' in the latter, which permits a limited amount of shifting movement of the shaft bearingrelative to. the cover plate in a plane which is tilted slightly rearwardly from the vertical; The purpose of the adjustment of the cylinder.

slightly forwardly of the vertical plane passing To facilitate adjustment of the cylinder bearing through the axis of the threshing'cylinder.

housing 2'5", an adjusting bolt- 38- engages an angular clip 39- rigidlyconnected, as by rivets, to. the bearing housing plates 24,, 25', and extends upwardly therefrom to a second is riveted to the cover plate 30. A pair of lock nuts 4i engage the bolt 38 on opposite sides of the clip 49' for rigidly fixingthe bolt inad-justed position.

In order to obtain a visual indication of the cylinder clearance, an indicator 42' is provided on the edge of the bearing plate 2d and a mark 43 is provided on the cover plate 30 to indicate the position of the indicator 42 at the position operation with similar rub bars H on the con'-' or minimum clearance of'thecylinder.

A similar adjustment is provided for the bearing at the other end or the cylinder shaft, but itclip: which plate similar to the cover housing to said cover plate in any of several positions of vertical adjustment on the plate, including a second plate attached to said cupshaped housing and slidable over the opening in A beater or separating cylinder 45 is mounted for rotation about an axis spaced rearwardly and upwardly from the axis of rotation of the threshing cylinder l0 and comprises an imperforate cylindrical rotor 46 upon which are mounted a plurality of outwardly extending fingers or pegs said second plate to 41, which pass closely adjacent to the bars 14 of.

the cylinder l0 for the purpose of stripping off any harvested material that tends to cling thereto? and to pass the same rearwardly to the straw rack or other separating mechanism of the harvester (not shown). In order to facilitate installationand removal of the beater 45, an enlarged opening 48 is provided in the side wall (inf-the body '5, through which the beater can be inserted or withdrawn'axially from the body. This opening 48is preferably made square, as shown in Figure 1, and of such dimensions that the fingers 41 will pass through the corners of the opening when the cylinder is Withdrawn therethrough. The separating cylinder 45 is mounted on a shaft 49, which is journaled in a bearing 50 which is fixedly supported on the cover plate .30, the latter being elongated upwardly and rearwardly to cover both of the openings 32, 48 insthe side wall 6 of the body. No adjustment is. necessary for the shaft of the beater, however, inasmuch as the clearance between the beater fingers 4'! and the cylinder bars I4 is not greatly changed by the adjustment of the threshing cylinder. Obviously, however, if so desired, the bearing 50 can be mounted on a shiftable plate similar to theplate 24 on which the threshing cylinder bearing 23 is mounted.

- We claim:

1. In a harvesting machine having a body, a rotatable crop engaging device including a supporting shaft, a supporting bearing for said shaft,

said body having an opening in one side large enough to receive said rotatable device during installation and removal thereof, a cover plate for said opening and having an opening larger than saidshaft to receive the latter, means for fixing said cover plate to said bodyover said opening, and means for mountingsaid bearing on said cover plate comprising a second plate attached to said bearing and disposed over the opening in said cover plate, said second plate being slidable on'said cover plate throughout a range in which said second plate provides a closure forsaid cover plate'opening, and means for fixing said second plate to said cover plate in adjusted position.

' 2. In a harvester having a body, a threshing cylinder including a upporting shaft, said body having an opening in one side adapted for in sertion of said cylinder axially therethrough during installation or removal thereof, a cover plate for said opening, means for detachably fixing said cover plate to'said 'body' over' said opening, said cover plate having an opening larger than said shaft to receive the latter, a pair of inner and outer annular coacting bearing members supporting said shaft, an annular rubber rim embracing said outer bearing member, a cup-shaped housing tightly embracing said rubber rim, and

means for adjustably fixing said cup-shaped said cover plate throughout a limited range in -which said second plate provides a closure for said cover plate opening, and means for fixing said cover plate in adjusted position.

3. In a harvester having a body, a threshing cylinder including a supporting shaft, said body having an opening in one side adapted for insertion of said cylinder axially therethrough during installation or removal thereof, a cover plate for said'opening, means for detachably fixing said cover'plate to said body over said opening, a pair of inner and outer annular coacting bearing members supporting said shaft, an annular rubber rim embracing said outer bearing member, a cup-shaped housing tightly embracing said rub ber rim, and means for adjustably fixing said cup shaped housing to said cover plate in any of 'several positions of vertical adjustment on the plate, including a second plate attached to said cupshaped housingand slidable on said cover plate, guide means for guiding the movement of said second plate on said cover plate, and an adjusting bolt engaging said second plate and said cover plate for adjusting the relative positions of the plates.

4. In a harvesting machine having a body, a threshing cylinder and a separating cylinder disposed adjacent each other therein, a side of said body having a pair of adjacent apertures adapted to receive said threshing'cylinder and said separating cylinder, respectively, axially therethrough during installation or removal of the cylinders, an elongated cover plate adapted to:

extend over and cover both of said apertures, means for detachably fixing said cover plate on said body, and bearing means supported on said plate in register with each of said apertures for rotatably supporting said cylinders.

- 5. The combination set forth in claim 4, in cluding the further provision of means for shifting one of said bearings relative to the other, comprising a second plate attached to one of said bearings and slidable on said cover plate, and means for fixing said plates together in adjusted position.

6. In a harvesting machine having a body, a threshing cylinder including a supporting shaft,

a supporting bearing for said shaft, said body having an opening in one side adapted for insertion of said cylinder axially therethrough during'installation or removal thereof, a cover plate for, said opening, means for detachably fixing said cover plate to said body over said opening,

said cover plate having an opening therein larger" 

